Ministry officials have also questioned the museum’s ability to enforce the charge given itrelies on a “high trust” model.
Te Papa started charging international visitors aged 16 and older a $35 entry fee on September 17, citing the increased cost of energy, insurance and staffing. The national museum in Wellington remains free for Kiwis.
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith received a briefing from MCH officials in August with a second opinion on Te Papa’s decision, as the museum had only engaged with the ministry “on a limited basis” at the time.
The briefing, released to the Herald under the Official Information Act, said the ministry supported the decision but had some concerns. Te Papa maintains all the issues raised were considered and addressed at the time, with many covered in some detail with the ministry.
MCH officials said some exceptions to the fee, such as the continued free entry for children, residents, and people who have whakapapa to a taonga or who have donated an item, could be difficult to implement in practice.
The ministry was concerned Te Papa’s projected compliance rates were over-inflated, given the high-trust model it intended to run.
“Te Papa’s advice does not articulate how this compliance rate was identified, and there is a risk that compliance rates could trend downward once international visitors become aware of the lack of enforcement.”
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith said he was pleased to see Te Papa creating new revenue streams while ensuring that New Zealanders maintain free access to the country's national museum. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The ministry also said Te Papa had not addressed how the new fee could lead to a decline in visitors and therefore a decline in revenue from the museum’s shop and cafe.
“There is also potential risk for corporate sponsorship and other donations to be impacted by the implementation of this policy as well if people perceive that these revenue streams are no longer necessary once the international charge is in place.”
It was unclear whether Te Papa had considered the potential international effect of the policy and its impact on free trade agreements, the MCH said.
Officials said they wanted to better understand advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to understand the degree of risk.
The Herald asked MFAT about its advice but the ministry declined to comment.
The MCH also questioned the way Te Papa had set the $35 fee, which officials understood to be a middle ground compared to other visitor attractions in Wellington like Zealandia.
“In the interests of providing a balanced view, we note that there are other international museums that do not charge a fee, such as the British Museum and the National Museum of Australia. In terms of the scale and size of Te Papa and its collections, the National Museum of Australia is perhaps the most appropriately comparable institution.”
Officials said it could also be appropriate for Te Papa to reduce the fee if access to the museum was restricted, as it was for the Toi Art exhibition this year, with floors four and five being closed for maintenance.
Te Papa spokeswoman Kate Camp said the museum could have allayed the ministry’s concerns at the time, if it had been made aware of them.
“We are delighted to say that, now the international visitor charge is in place, it is working well and the potential issues raised in this document have not occurred.”
As of the end of October, Te Papa has sold almost 10,000 tickets to international visitors. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Camp said enforcing the fee was an operational matter that has been working well in practice, ticket sales and financial performance were very close to the projections modelled by Te Papa and declining visitation was considered and being monitored.
“It is early days but we are not currently seeing any negative impacts on other areas of our operations.”
In setting the fee, Te Papa considered a wide range of industry comparisons. The nearest comparator to Te Papa is the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which charges a fee of $32 for international visitors, Camp said.
Te Papa received advice from MFAT one day after the briefing was sent. In a following meeting with both ministries, representatives “indicated they were comfortable with the implementation approach”, she said.
Camp said Te Papa was happy with how the new fee was going.
“The system is working well, with New Zealanders moving through easily, and very little queuing for international ticket buyers.”
As of the end of October, almost 10,000 tickets have been sold to international visitors. The total value of tickets sold during that period is $349,965 including GST.
Sales to date are on average 87% of Te Papa’s target.
These numbers did not include international tour groups who had pre-booked before the charge was introduced, Camp said.
“We are observing the process closely and doing a lot of visitor research so we can keep learning and tweaking the process. We will need to keep adjusting our approach as the number of international visitors ramps up over summer.”
In a statement, MCH policy, performance and insights deputy secretary Emily Fabling said it was pleasing to see the implementation of the new policy was progressing well.
“We are satisfied that Te Papa is observing the process closely and doing visitor research to inform any changes to the initiative.
“Te Papa regularly reports to the ministry, including updates on its visitor numbers, and we will continue to monitor the impacts on revenue generation.”
Goldsmith said his expectation was that Te Papa operated efficiently and effectively.
“I’m pleased to see Te Papa creating new revenue streams while ensuring that New Zealanders maintain free access to our national museum.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
